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Exotic South Sea pearls from the Black-Lipped Oyster,
or Pinctada margaritifera, are more commonly known as Tahitian pearls. These pearls
are often referred to as black, but have a remarkable color range that covers
the spectrum - from light, creamy white and grey, to regal greens and deep
black. Tahitian pearls are relative newcomers to the pearl world, popularized
only as early as the mid-1900's by the efforts of Mr. Robert Wan of Tahiti and
his New York-based colleagues. Unlike the more common pearl types, Tahitian
pearls typically have a naturally dark body color. These pearls have become some
of the most sought-after, expensive pearls in the world. Because of their vast
color range, matching these pearls into a finished strand is an enormous task
requiring thousands of loose pearls to create a single strand. Finding a company
that carries hundreds of these strands in all shapes and sizes, like Netpearls, is even more difficult. |
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Tahitian pearls are considered to be the second most
valuable commercially farmed pearls in the world. These pearls are produced by
the large Black-Lipped Oyster which is the only oyster to produce naturally
black pearls. Unlike black freshwater and black Akoya pearls, which have been
irradiated or dyed, Tahitians come by their dark color naturally. Tahitian
pearls are bead-nucleated, but unlike Akoya pearls the nacre is typically very
thick. The thinnest nacre allowed by French Polynesian law for export is .8mm,
which is a depth that would be considered, in the Akoya world, extremely
thick. |
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| Beautiful Tahitian pearls are among the largest pearls
in the world. The only larger commercially harvested pearls today are South Sea.
The beauty of Tahitian pearls, however, is not limited to their size, but their
incredible array of iridescent colors. Tahitian pearls are the only pearls that
have a full color spectrum. Black Lipped oysters have a rainbow-like mantle
which exhibits all natural colors. These colors are expressed in Tahitian pearls
in a magical way with colors shimmering over the surface of some of the best
specimens. Because Tahitian pearls are bead nucleated many of them are round, or
near round, with other shapes expressed in drops, baroques, and circled. These
pearls have an average size of 9-14mm, but some rare gems larger than 20mm have
been found. |
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| Although Tahitian pearls carry the name of the famous
Tahiti island they do not come from Tahiti. Tahiti is the main trading post for
islands that produce Tahitian pearls. Tahitian pearls are farmed in French
Polynesia, the Cook Islands, the Micronesian Islands, and even to some extent,
Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Other parts of the world with similar
climates have also attempted to farm Tahitian pearls, and some have met with
limited success. |
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| Tahitian pearls were once some of the rarest, most
valuable cultured pearls in the world. They are still much more valuable than
freshwater and Akoya pearls, but the farming enterprises are no longer relegated
to small island groups. This has brought market forces into play and today
Tahitian pearls, albeit still very expensive, are now affordable to a much wider
demographic. Ten years ago a perfect strand of Tahitian pearls for $100,000
would have been considered a bargain. |
Go back to
our shop: Tahitian Pearl Jewelry |
